A black employee of Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville has sued the Department of Correction, alleging she was suspended without pay for one day after complaining about a white corrections officer whose vehicle had a Confederate flag prominently displayed for visitors and employees to see.

In her lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, Carla Moore said she did not immediately complain about the Confederate flag because she had hoped it was a one-time occurrence. But when the officer allegedly parked repeatedly in the same spot  with the flag on full display, Moore said she decided to complain to her immediate supervisor.

The Confederate flag was a symbol of seceded Southern states during the Civil War, but later emerged as a symbol of white supremacy and racism.

Moore's lawsuit alleged that soon after she complained about the flag being visible in the parking lot, “The plaintiff was confronted in her office by a Caucasian supervisor, who approached the plaintiff in a physically threatening manner, screaming and pointing at her.”

Moore then complained to superior officers about the supervisor's alleged behavior, and was soon after suspended without pay for one day, according to the lawsuit.

Moore, 56, has worked for the Department of Correction for about 25 years and is currently employed in the records department. She says in her lawsuit she was subjected to a hostile work environment because of her race.

Department of Correction Public Information Officer Andrius Banevicius said: “It is the policy of the Connecticut Department of Correction not to comment on active litigation.”

The Office of the Connecticut Attorney General represents the Department of Correction, but spokeswoman Samantha Norton declined to comment.

John Williams, Moore's attorney, told the Connecticut Law Tribune there has been no further retaliation against Moore since she filed her federal lawsuit and a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

But Williams, a principal at New Haven-based John R. Williams and Associates, said the damage had been done.

“My client has worked for the department for 25 years and has a clean record. We want to get that record cleared,” he said. “They also need to be taught a lesson that you don't retaliate against people for doing the right thing. She did not go out of the agency. She complained within the agency. So what is this all about?”

Williams said the lawsuit was brought under the state's whistleblower statute, which specifically applies to state agencies.

“The whistleblower statute means compensatory damages and punitive damages and attorney fees,” Williams said. “I want penalties to apply in this case. We want them to learn a lesson that you don't shoot the messenger.”

The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

Williams said it's not clear if the corrections officer is still parking his car with the Confederate flag visible, but said the vehicle was a fixture at the facility for at least several weeks.

“It was on the front of his vehicle. He made it a point of backing in so it would be prominently displayed in a spot not reserved for staff,” Williams said. “The purpose was to put it in the entrance so you could not miss the flag. The administration was tolerating it, so [Moore] complained.”

Williams argued the display is even more disturbing because the officer is working with a prison population who would likely find the flag to be a symbol of oppression.

“It's clearly intolerable,” Williams said. “He is overseeing a predominantly minority population in the prison system. Imagine you are African American and you are visiting a loved one in that place and the first thing you see is the Confederate flag. How are you supposed to feel?”